Microwave photonic link characterization for phased array radar

This paper presents a feasibility analysis of microwave photonic links for signal distribution in active aperture radar. Phased array radar antenna uses large number of transmit/receive modules spread over the entire physical area of antenna. The received echo signal is processed with the help of various microwave and data signals. This requires distribution of large number of coaxial cables across antenna panel to perform beam forming and other signal processing functions for target detection. An optical distribution network is proposed for transmission of multiplexed microwave signals on single optical fiber on the basis of link power budget calculations. The results have been experimentally tested for S band frequency signals from 50MHz to 4GHz. Analysis is also carried out to observe the effect of extreme temperature on performance of optical components.